September 28, 2006

The Last Kiss

Saw "The Last Kiss" on Tuesday, the new Zach Braff movie written by Paul Haggis, who wrote "Crash." I think I'd describe it as a perfect anti-date movie. If you're looking to break up with someone, this would be a good movie to take them to, and just pretend you're going to the bathroom and leave them there in the middle sometime. They won't care, because the movie will convince them all relationships are doomed to fail anyway, and life is sad and pointless, and the world is bleak. And all people are liars. And no one ever smiles, at anything.

Basic plot summary without giving anything away: Zach Braff and his girlfriend are in a long-term relationship, not married, but she's pregnant. He's worried this is the end of anything surprising that will ever happen in his life. Meanwhile, he has a band of sad friends, one whose wife/girlfriend has just left him, one who's married and has a kid but wants to leave, and one who needs a haircut. And the girlfriend's parents are having marital problems too. And everyone is very sad and frustrated, all the time, including the weather, which is way too prone to heavy rain. The end of the movie involves some mysterious timeline-funkiness where it's hard to figure out how long things are going on for, and how someone who's sitting on his porch for days ever goes to the bathroom. Also, some wacky neighbors make one or two appearances, but seem to either be from another movie or must have had scenes and scenes left on the cutting room floor. On the plus side, no suicide anywhere in the movie. That's the plus side.